This spring, on Sunday, May 29, 2011, we will again create a festive environment to commemorate Yom Ha’atzmaut – Israel's Independence Day....

Representative Gene Ward, Ph.D. speaks with Dianne Glei Event Chair, for the Independence Day at Maunalua Bay; Kevin Nitta, treasurer of the Independence Day at Maunalua Bay Foundation and Laura Buck, the IDMB Foundation president.

...next Friday, June 3rd, we are on schedule to adopting a budget which (though imperfect in many ways) is definitely trying to make up for the shortchanging of taxpayers in years gone by....

The Honolulu Neighborhood Commission Office has announced the complete election results for Honolulu Neighborhood Boards. The online voting, which ended Saturday May 21 drew 13,264 voters for an 8.5% turnout.

Association of Alternative Newsweeklies CONDEMNS the attempt by Maui authorities to force this disclosure, and SUPPORTS the right of Maui Time and Tommy Russo to oppose this subpoena and CALLS ON the district attorney of Maui to immediately withdraw this subpoena and cease all efforts to chill the free speech rights of Maui Time readers.

...legal issues that the rail project will involve, include eminent domain, environmental questions, and the relationship with the newly-created Honolulu Authority for Rapid Transit (HART), an agency within city government to oversee the project....

When the government chooses a preferred beneficiary before it condemns, the taking looks a lot more like the prohibited "A-to-B" taking that the Court professes to frown upon....

The Council on Revenues forecast today was unchanged for the current and upcoming fiscal years. Governor Neil Abercrombie has no plans to call for a special session.

About 26 percent of households fish regularly, and majority of nearshore fishers are non-commercial, according to a 2006 University of Hawai'i Social Sciences Research Institute study. Unsustainable coastal development and pollution, along with a high volume of fishing activity, have (has) led to the decline of 75 percent of Hawai'i’s nearshore fish population.

Hawaii is 50th
Average Score 73.0%
32% of Hawaii drivers failed the National Drivers Test

These $600 million in increased taxes come even while state legislators might be finagling a pay raise for themselves—if House Bill 575 is vetoed on constitutionality grounds, legislators would get 12 percent pay raises, administrators 17 percent, and judges a 28.5 percent increase in salary.

Governor Abercrombie promised “A New Day in Hawaii”. Seems like business is same old, same old.

in the first quarter of the year, government agencies in Hawaii spent more money lobbying in Washington, D.C. than private business did....  Hawaii state and local government spent about $185,000 on D.C. lobbying, compared to about $122,500 from Hawaii's private businesses over the same period.... the biggest state spenders were the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (which continues to push for the Akaka Bill) and InfraConsult, Inc. (which lobbies on behalf of Honolulu's rapid transit project). 

This scam is tied to several well-known sovereignty activists—which perhaps explains why the Advertiser’s two recent articles have included so little information about the alleged perpetrators.

Having deployed twice to the Middle East, served 2 years in the US Senate with Senator Akaka, assisting him with issues such as energy independence, homeland security, the environment, and veteran affairs, being elected as a State legislator and City Councilmember, as well as my work with my environmental non-profit, I am well-equipped to take on these challenges, and am confident that I will serve you well.

Even steeper rises in the cost of private insurance are possible, due to Obamacare’s reductions in Medicare payment rates and its expansion of the Medicaid program.

Myth #5: The House budget balances the budget on the backs of seniors.

Fact: Current and near-retirees are exempt from reforms.

Instead of offering solutions, the left is resorting to smear tactics. The prime example this week surrounds a special congressional election in western New York, where Democrat Kathy Hochul defeated Republican Jane Corwin, who supported Ryan's budget. Hochul attacked the plan, falsely claiming that it was an attempt to end Medicare.

Of all the plans released today at the Peter G. Peterson Foundation’s 2011 Fiscal Summit, the Heritage Foundation’s proposal reduces the national debt held by the public the most and keeps federal spending and taxes at the lowest levels.

The state’s Office of Aerospace Development will be the lead state agency for the project, enhancing dialogue and coordination among the state, private and academic partners to enable growth and diversification of the state’s aerospace economy.

HSDC is developing a plan to best deploy these funds for worthy businesses.

...he showed us the manuscript of Islam: A Religion of Peace? in which he points to the “negative” verses in the Quran and argues for their removal. “We should reject the earlier part of the Quran and use only the end part,” he told us, noting the community calls him a kafir (non-believer)....

Representative George Fontaine discusses domestic violence in Hawaii with Dara Carlin a domestic violence survivor and advocate; and Tiffinie Walters a domestic violence survivor....

The Maui Police Department has issued a subpoena to obtain the IP addresses of Maui Time web commenters, citing the terroristic threatening of one of its officers. by Maui police officer Nelson Johnson....The comment in question was left in response to an April 14 blog post in which Maui Time publisher Tommy Russo posted a video of himself being assaulted....

Hawaiians were the least likely in the United States in 2010 to say they felt stressed for much of the previous day, at 30.2%. Residents of Utah were the most likely to report experiencing stress, at 45.1%, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index.

The American Medical Group Association, representing medical groups that provide care for roughly 1 in 3 Americans, said that 90% of its members would not participate in the new Accountable Care Organization (ACO) model the Obama administration wants to impose on Medicare providers.  

...the districts in BOLD are ones in which the Representative has changed in the past 7 years. There are 27 changes out of 51 seats, which is indeed more than half.

The Governor’s Administration played a pivotal role in developing the Race to the Top public education program that was awarded $75 million in Federal funds and won praise from President Obama’s Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan....  Hirono either purposely failed to acknowledge Governor Lingle’s landmark, community-based effort known as the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI), or she has been away from Hawaii so long she is out of touch with the progress that has been made in this critical area. President Obama’s Dept. of Energy has lauded the HCEI as a model for other states.

FPCON BRAVO--This condition applies when an increased and more predictable threat of terrorist activity exists. 

Land before humans came to the Hawaiian Islands around 1,000 years ago, there ruled land crabs which roamed great distance, a new study has claimed.

Long time GOP stalwart and former legislature John Carroll announced that he felt himself more a libertarian than anything else and would seek the LP nomination for the US senate seat being vacated by Dan Akaka....

Senate: Motion to Proceed; Close Big Oil Tax Loopholes Act
Senate: Motion to Proceed; Offshore Production and Safety Act of 2011
Senate: Cloture Motion; Nomination of Goodwin Liu to be U.S. Circuit Judge for the Ninth Circuit

In accordance with Act 48, which became effective May 5, 2011, the Hawaii Supreme Court May 18 issued temporary rules establishing a process by which an owner-occupant of a residential property subject to a non-judicial foreclosure may convert the action into a judicial foreclosure.

“We need a President who understands our problems are deep and has the courage to face them. President Obama doesn’t. I do.”

Phoning it in from a black-tie event in Washington, DC, Rep Mazie Hirono blessedly informed Hawaii that she will not be a candidate for the 2nd Congressional District in 2012.

POLL Daily Kos March 22: Aiona 42% – Hannemann 42%

Describing the news as “very disappointing”, Anthony Bergamo, President and Founder of the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation (FLEF) categorically repudiates any connection between his organization and the Muslim Association of Hawaii and Hawaii Islam Day celebrations....

After using an alleged “crisis” and so-called “budget shortfalls” to push tax increases through the Legislature, it certainly seemed like fortuitous timing when Neil Abercrombie’s Department of Taxation found a $134M jump in tax revenues shortly after the Legislature adjourned....

HELCO reported that 20,660 customer interruptions (16% of all interruptions) were related to Independent Power Producer (non-HELCO Generation) sources. In 2009 Hamakua Energy Partners (HEP) and Pakini Nui Windfarm were the non-HELCO generation sources that caused customer interruptions. 

After months of trying to get on base in Hawaii, is it ‘three strikes and they’re out’ for the Turkish Gulen cult?

In the end, I was able to resolve every competing consideration but one, but that, the interests and wishes of my family, is the most important consideration of all.

The Regents Candidate Advisory Council (RCAC) will soon begin the recruitment process to fill a vacancy for a County of Hawai‘i seat on the University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents.

 The Honolulu Republican Committee has issued a list of all Neighborhood Board candidates who are Republican.

Herman Cain received 20% of the vote in the Recent Hawaii GOP Convention Straw Poll....

Kalama Park on Saturday, May 21, at 11:30 -2:30 (middle pavilion by the playground equipment).

SB2, SB1555, HB1313

State and federal agencies signed a partnership today that will help private Forest Stewardship, landowners and managers conserve forestry land across Hawai'i.

In a speech yesterday on U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East following the "Arab Spring" uprisings, President Obama broached the subject of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Notably, he stated that, as part of finding peace between Israel and Palestine, the two parties should return to their 1967 borders.

Visitor industries on Oahu and the Big Island will suffer a setback from the drop in Japanese visitors in the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake, while Maui and Kauai will benefit from their stronger specialization in US and Canadian markets.

Listen carefully to the nurses in this video. They are ready to dump the HGEA.

"I wish Mazie well in her effort to seek higher elective office. It was my pleasure to have served with her in Congress and to have represented her as a congressman and city councilmember."